Elizabeth lay on the bed, the only movement the rise and fall of her chest. She hurt, physically and emotionally. What she wanted to do was to curl up in a ball but Lucas had not even left her that luxury.
Even with her hands still secured above her head, Elizabeth had curled up when Lucas was finished with her. She wasn't sure how long it had taken but she had sensed the anger in her husband as he carried out his desires. It had gone further than just two weeks of pent up sexual frustration.
The comfort of the curled up position had not lasted long as she had soon felt Lucas hands on her, tugging her into a supine position. She was not sure what he had used, but he had found something to loop around her ankle and then secure that to the bed post. He had done it with each foot, leaving her on her back, arms secured above her head and legs spread. Though she still wore her dress, Elizabeth had shivered in fright as Lucas, kneeling on the bed between her spread legs, had run his hands slowly up her body until he was cupping her cheeks.
"You can stay just where you are while I have a drink," Lucas had whispered softly, before getting up and leaving the room.
The only consolation that Elizabeth had gotten was the fact that he had closed the bedroom door. She just hoped that Jack did not wander in and find her like this. Her son had been through enough tonight.
Elizabeth was unaware of how much time had passed. All she knew was that her torment was not over. Lucas would be back. It was why he had left her here like this. She could only hope that her husband would soon be satisfied. Though perhaps it would be better if all of this came to an end permanently.
Footsteps in the hallway reached Elizabeth's ears. She was certain that Lucas was returning. She didn't think she could take anymore. Yes, part of her longed for death, but not a slow and painful one. Perhaps Lucas didn't intend to kill her but if things continued, perhaps he would. A fleeting thought crossed her mind if that was how her late husband had died - slowly suffocating under the weight of the mud that hand buried him.
Not wanting the pain to resume, she struggled against the bonds holding her.
"Please don't. Please, I can't take anymore. Please, Lucas, just leave me be," Elizabeth pleaded, her eyes closed. She had little hope that the pleas would be heeded but if there was any truth to the illusion of the man she had thought she had fallen in love with then perhaps the desperation she could hear in her own voice would reach him.
Elizabeth struggled, twisting her body as much as her tight bonds would allow. She felt the material of her skirts moving, though in her desperation it did not register what way it was being moved. Anticipating the pain she was sure was to come, she continued to struggle, her breaths coming in quick, short gasps now. The tears she had thought were spent came back then as she continued to repeat her pleas.
Only when she felt the bond holding her arms above her head loosen did Elizabeth become aware of her surroundings. A voice was speaking to her but the voice did not belong to Lucas.
"It is all right, Elizabeth. You are safe now."
The two phrases repeated in Nathan's low, soothing tenor as the material around her wrists fell away. Elizabeth finally opened her eyes as she lowered her arms and crossed them across her stomach. Her gaze fell on Nathan as he moved to the foot of the bed and finished untying her.
The fact that her undergarments had been removed and her skirts left hiked up, flooded back to Elizabeth. In embarrassment she reached down to move them down, only to realize that they were already in place. The memory of the material being moved came back to her, and she realized it must have been Nathan covering her properly.
As Nathan untied the second ankle, Elizabeth rolled on her side, and curled up in a ball, the tears flowing freely. Along with the previous feelings, there were now the shame and embarrassment that Nathan should find her like this. At that moment she just wanted all of this to end. She wanted to die. She wanted the torment to end. If it wasn't for her son . . .
"Jack."
Elizabeth was not sure if her son's name was only in her head or if she said it until Nathan responded.
"Jack is with Lee and Rosemary, Elizabeth," Nathan assured her, his hand coming to rest against her back. "He is safe and Lucas will not lay a hand on either of you again if I can help it."
"I failed him," Elizabeth managed to get out between sobs. The image of Jack hitting his head on the banister came back to her. She should have protected her son. She should have chosen a man who had shown that he cared for her son as well as her. "I am sorry, Jack," she said, though she knew that her late husband could not hear the apology.
Jack had wanted her to find love again. Jack would have wanted her to find someone who would protect and treat his son as their own.
Elizabeth knew she had failed on both accounts.
Bill helped Gabriel settle Lucas in the back of the borrowed wagon. The cravat had been replaced with proper handcuffs though the stormy look had not disappeared from the saloon owner's face. There was not an ounce of remorse in Lucas' expression or demeanor for what had transpired here tonight.
Gabriel sat down facing Lucas a bit closer to the end of the wagon bed. Though the situation was not quite as personal for the Mountie as it was the others involved, Gabriel looked troubled. People he cared about were hurting and that was enough to trouble Gabriel. Still, Bill was thankful for his presence as he would not want to trust Nathan alone with Lucas at this time. Nathan had already punched him once, the fact that Lucas had swung first making it acceptable. If he were honest with himself, Bill didn't trust himself alone with Lucas yet either and that was before actually seeing Jack. After he saw his god son, Bill knew it would be best if Lucas was behind bars when he interacted with him.
"Go ahead," Bill instructed Richard Wolf who was on the wagon seat. The night was not quite over yet but at least Lucas was heading back to jail where he belonged. If only he had been able to come up with a reason not to release him this evening, Bill knew he could have saved Jack and Elizabeth some physical and emotional pain. But all they'd had were suspicions. Yes, Jack had said some questionable things but had never indicated Lucas had hit him nor had there been marks on the child before this. Bill had asked Elizabeth questions and she had refused to answer. Without her admission nothing would have stuck and it would have just made things worse for her in the long run.
As Bill looked toward the house, he saw the others finally making their way out of the house. Though walking, Elizabeth was being supported by both Lee and Nathan, the latter with his sling back in place, as they made their way toward Lee's waiting car. Faith and Rosemary followed behind.
Faith and Gabriel had both been at the Coulter's when Ally had arrived with Jack. Faith had examined Jack while Gabriel had called Bill and then headed to the Bouchards. After determining that Jack's injuries seemed to be limited to bruises, though he would be closely monitored for a couple of days, Faith, Lee and Rosemary had followed Gabriel.
Faith had examined Elizabeth first. Then, leaving Rosemary with Elizabeth, she had insisted on making sure Nathan had done no damage to his healing shoulder. It was while she had examined Nathan and put the sling back on, the sling no longer holding Lucas to the staircase, that Faith had told Bill and Nathan about Elizabeth's injuries. She told them that though there were bruising, abrasions and some minor bleeding there appeared to be no serious injuries. Faith informed them that Elizabeth would be sore for awhile but that the emotional trauma would probably be worse than the physical trauma. She planned on keeping Elizabeth at the infirmary for a day or two to make sure she got proper rest.
Which gave Bill a day or two to convince Lucas a divorce was in his best interests. Bill wanted Elizabeth free of Lucas. It was the only way she could truly heal. If that meant that he had to help support her and Jack then so be it. Jack Sr. had been like a son to him. He had promised Jack when he went to the Northern Territories that he would look after Elizabeth while Jack was away, he would do so now if needed. Away had just ended up being more permanent than any of them had intended.
Reaching the car, Lee helped Elizabeth inside and closed the door. On the other side, Nathan opened the passenger side door for Faith as she climbed in beside Elizabeth. Lee got behind the wheel and drove off in the same direction the wagon had taken, leaving Nathan and Rosemary standing next to one another.
Bill went over to the two of them.
"I hope Lucas is going away for good after this," Rosemary stated forcefully as Bill joined them.
"He'll end up in jail, for how long I can't say. The child abuse charges will go through with the bruises on Jack and Nathan's statement even if Jack will not repeat the accusations in front of someone else. We need to make sure we get phonographs of the bruises."
"Faith already called Fiona about doing that," Rosemary assured him.
"Good," Bill said, with a nod.
"What about what Lucas did to Elizabeth?" Rosemary asked. "He'll be held accountable for that, won't he?"
"Only if Elizabeth chooses to press charges," Bill admitted regretfully.
"What!" Rosemary exclaimed. "But Nathan is a witness, finding her like he did!"
Nathan let out a long sigh. "Because Elizabeth is not minor, yes we can charge Lucas but any lawyer would be able to get him off if Elizabeth does not press charges, especially as they are married. The lack of charges would allow them to argue it was consensual."
Rosemary gave an indignant huff. "Sometimes the law makes no sense," she lamented.
"I cannot argue with that," Bill said, regretfully. If it hadn't been for the limits of the law he had to work within, Lucas never would have come home tonight in the first place. "However, the best thing you can do Rosemary is just support Elizabeth and Jack right now. Let Nathan and I deal with Lucas. I plan on making sure he goes away for a while in whatever form I can manage." Rosemary nodded as Bill turned to Nathan. "I will need an official statement from you. Giving your injury, come to my office tomorrow morning. You can dictate to me and I will type it out. Gabriel can sign as witness and given the black and blue tone of Lucas' jaw, I think you can manage to sign it as well."
"Of course, Bill. Whatever you need. I just wish this could have been prevented."
"We all do, but we did try," Bill reminded Nathan. "You came to me with your suspicions and I did try getting Elizabeth to talk. You know better than most that you can't really help an abuse victim until they are ready to accept that help. We did what we could and we will be there to support her and Jack as they move on from this."
As he spoke, Bill had reached out and rested a hand on Nathan's uninjured shoulder. "Go home. Try to get some rest. I will finish up what needs to be here tonight."
"Bill, no matter what, we cannot put Jack through a trial," Nathan said. "You did not see him tonight. Before he recognized me, he was terrified."
Though Bill had already decided that he wanted to keep from having to put Jack or Elizabeth through a trial, he had not wanted to say anything. The bottom line was, Jack and Elizabeth would not be safe unless Lucas was in jail. Keeping him there indefinitely was not an option. Even going through a trial, Lucas would get out eventually. Unless there was something in place that would guarantee Lucas would have to stay away from Elizabeth and Jack for the rest of their lives, they would be in danger when that happened.
"Part of me thinks that the best thing for Elizabeth and Jack is for this to be settled quickly and as quietly as possible."
"You're thinking plea deal?" Nathan asked sharply. Bill could tell the idea did not set well with the younger man. If he had been the one to find Jack and Elizabeth like Nathan had, Bill conceded he would probably feel the same way.
"Yes, but one that will guarantee Lucas stays out of their lives forever," Bill said. "Even after he gets out of jail, he won't be able to get close to Elizabeth or Jack or he will go right back to jail, or there will be no deal. I plan on sending a wire to Lucas' lawyer tonight."
"You think Lucas would go for it?" Rosemary asked.
"Lucas is a business man and William Thatcher is well known and respected in the business world. He could make life impossible for Lucas if he wanted to and the right words from me, he would do just that. I think Lucas will see reason," Bill told them. "Rosemary, do you need me to walk you home?" he asked the woman, deciding to try once again to get Nathan and Rosemary heading toward home.
Rosemary shook her head in response. "Nathan will," she assured him. "Ally is still at my house. She is watching Jack and Aster."
"Good. I will keep you both informed on developments," Bill assured them.
The trio exchanged goodnights. With her arm looped through Nathan's good arm, Rosemary and Nathan headed down the road by the light of a lantern Rosemary carried. Bill watched them for a bit before turning back to the Bouchard residence. Bill wanted to go through the house once again and make sure everything was in his notes. If this did go to trial, he wanted every possible detail he could find to hold against Lucas Bouchard.
Despite the night not being chilly, Nathan felt Rosemary shiver as she walked beside him. "If I had a coat, I would offer it to you," Nathan commented.
"What?" Rosemary asked, glancing over at him. When his words finally registered, Rosemary offered him a weak smile. "That is sweet, but it is not the cold that caused that shiver. I was just contemplating what Elizabeth must have been feeling tonight. Not even when some guys did attempt to abduct me, did I have to endure anything like that. Not even those guys attempted to tie me up though they may have after I figured out what was going on if Jack hadn't shown up."
Nathan did not comment. He did not entirely understand what Rosemary was talking about. He could have asked for more information but he sensed that even Rosemary had a point other than recounting her near abduction. Nathan also knew that Rosemary was not the type that needed prompting to keep going with whatever she was saying.
"Despite not feeling the same way about me that I did him, Jack was still my hero. He came to my rescue without hesitation," Rosemary continued. She paused briefly as she looked up at Nathan and caught his gaze. "Just like you did tonight despite Elizabeth breaking your heart."
Nathan looked away. The only person he had admitted a broken heart to was Gabe. He had a feeling Bill knew, but nothing had been said between them. "Who said she broke my heart?" he said, trying to make the remark sound off handed. As if it wasn't true and didn't matter.
"No one needed to say anything," Rosemary told him. She patted the arm that she was holding onto. "I remember how it felt when Jack chose Elizabeth and I don't think my feelings for Jack went quite as deep for him as yours do for Elizabeth. After all, it was I who called our engagement off in the first place. You still love her, don't you?"
Nathan swallowed hard. This was not the conversation he wanted to have, especially not after what transpired tonight. Nor did he want to have this conversation with Elizabeth's best friend.
However, Nathan also knew he couldn't lie. Lying to Lucas had been hard enough. Lying to Rosemary, even to spare his own heart, was something he could not do.
"I do," Nathan managed to get out, the words barely above a whisper.
Rosemary nodded knowingly though Nathan was avoiding looking at her. "Elizabeth is lucky to have you on her side, Nathan," she told him. "I think we both had trouble seeing that at first because of the uniform. I did not want to see Elizabeth go through the same thing she did when she lost Jack. In trying to protect her from that possibility, I fear I steered her toward a fate that turned out to be even worse than losing a second husband to the Mountie profession."
"Don't blame yourself for this Rosemary," Nathan said quickly, his fear over his own feelings being laid bare, suddenly forgotten. "The only one to blame in all of this is Lucas."
"Don't blame yourself either, Nathan," Rosemary countered. "You've been a good friend to Elizabeth despite how things turned out. You did what you could and you put a stop to what was happening tonight."
Nathan nodded, not trying to deny that he had been blaming himself for tonight. Despite his experiences with his Dad's gambling and stealing and Dylan's abuse toward Colleen, he had still been convinced he had not done enough to prevent this. Bill was right though. You could not help an abuse victim unless that victim was ready to accept help. His mother finally had, divorcing and putting distance between herself and Archie. They had both even eventually found peace with themselves and each other. Colleen had not reached the point where she had been ready to accept help. His sister had still been trying to defend Dylan after his brother-in-law had beaten her so badly that she had been dying from her injuries.
"You are right, Rosemary," Nathan replied. "I need to take my own advice and remember that what has already happened cannot be changed and it is not my fault. Thank you. However, I need to ask a favor of you Rosemary."
"Anything, Nathan," Rosemary said, the words genuine.
"I've seen the emotional toll that this kind of relationship can take on a person with my sister. Chances are that there will be times that Elizabeth will tell you to go away. Promise me you won't. No matter how hard it is. She is going to need your friendship."
"I promise," Rosemary said, without hesitation. "What about you?"
"I am not sure," Nathan replied honestly. "I want to support Elizabeth through this but how best to do that is uncertain. If it seems best that I keep my distance, I will do that. If I can offer my friendship, I will do that."
"What about your heart, Nathan?" Rosemary asked.
"I'll be fine, Rosemary," Nathan told her. "My heart has been broken so many times that I don't think it will ever be whole again at this point in my life."
Rosemary hugged the arm she was holding, and rested her head on his arm in an effort to offer Nathan comfort as they walked. "Whatever you need, Nathan, know that Lee and I will be there."
Nathan swallowed hard as he blinked back tears at the words. Though Lee had been a friend, a part of him had always thought of Rosemary either as Elizabeth's friend or Lee's wife. Now, despite having tried to warn him off a couple years before, here she was offering her friendship and support.
"Thank you," Nathan finally managed to get out.
The two finished the walk to the Coulters home in comfortable silence. Reaching the house, Nathan and Rosemary walked in to see Ally sitting on the settee with Jack beside her. Though they had a book open on their laps, it was clear that the two were just looking at pictures. Even then Jack did not seem too engaged. The boy had looked up at the sound of the door opening. Spotting them, Jack got quickly down and silently ran toward them. Nathan thought he would go for Rosemary, whom he had spent more time with, but instead the little boy wrapped his arms around Nathan's leg.
"Did you help, mama?" Jack asked, looking up at Nathan.
Nathan felt that damn lump in his throat once again. To buy himself a little time, Nathan reached down and used his good hand to gently loosen the boy from his leg. He then led Jack over to the easy chair and helped the boy climb in his lap.
Finally able to speak, Nathan looked at the boy. "I did help your Mama," he assured the boy. "However, Dr. Carter thought it is best for your Mama to be at the infirmary tonight. You can see her tomorrow."
"Lucas won't hurt us again, will he?"
Nathan heard a soft sob from Ally's direction. Looking toward her, he saw his daughter wiping away a few tears, no doubt thinking of her own father. Nathan was grateful to see Rosemary sit down beside Ally, allowing him to turn his attention back to Jack.
"No," Nathan promised. "I will do whatever is in my power to make sure Lucas does not hurt you or your Mama again," he told the little boy. ~Even if I have to beat him to a bloody pulp myself, ~ Nathan added silently, the image of Elizabeth's bruised, tear stained face as she lay tied to the bed came back to him. It had been all he could do to keep from going back downstairs and punching Lucas senseless right there and then. Knowing that hitting a restrained prisoner would only cause trouble for him and possibly get Lucas off had been the only thing that had stopped him from doing so. Instead, he had forced himself forward, speaking calmly in an effort to bring Elizabeth some comfort. He had straightened the skirts of her dress to give her some dignity, untied her, and simply held her until Faith had arrived. His murmurings had seemed to soothe some of her fears but that had been all he could do for Elizabeth then.
"Good," Jack said, wrapping his arms around Nathan's neck and snuggling close. "Can I stay with you until Mama can come home?" the boy asked, his eyes closed as he leaned against Nathan.
Nathan looked over at Rosemary with a start. The Coulters were Jack's guardians. He just assumed that Jack would stay with them. He knew Elizabeth would expect that. As he met Rosemary's gaze though, the woman simply met his look and gave a decided nod. That reaction told Nathan all he needed to know. Like himself, Rosemary just wanted what was best for Jack. If Jack was going to feel safer with Nathan, then that was what she wanted.
"Yes, Jack. You can stay with me until your Mama comes home."
"You should wait for Lee to get home to leave," Rosemary added, addressing Nathan. "He has a bag of Jack's things and he will drive all three of you to your place."
"I would appreciate that," Nathan replied, his hand protectively around the child clinging to him.
"Me too," Ally said.
Rosemary smiled as she pulled the girl close to her side and placed a kiss on the top of her head. "You acted very grown up tonight, Ally," Rosemary told her. "Thank you for being brave and looking after the younger kids. I am proud of you."
"So am I," Nathan chimed in.
Ally blushed slightly as she looked down at her hands folded in her lap, clearly pleased by both the praise and the acknowledgment that she was growing up.